Little Feat
Quite possibly the "tightest" band I've ever seen live.  I saw them with Lowell George in Knoxville, Tennessee, on "The Last Record Album" tour (with inflatable cacti...I'll never forget hearing Lowell George exclaim "Get that cactus up!" in the middle of a song when stage hands were trying to inflate a cactus).  They're still an amazing live band with their current lineup.
Little Feat I (1969 - 1972)
  • Lowell George - guitar/harmonica/vocals - b. 1945; d. June 29, 1979, Arlington, Virginia - formerly with The Factory, Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and The Standells.
  • Bill Payne - keyboards/vocals - b. March 12, 1949, Waco, Texas - formerly with The Debonaires and The Fraternity of Man.
  • Roy Estrada - bass/vocals - formerly with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention.
  • Richie Hayward - drums - b. Richard Hayward - formerly with The Rebels, The Factory and The Fraternity of Man.
Albums:
  1. "Little Feat" (1971)
  2. "Sailin' Shoes" (1972)
Roy Estrada joins Captain Beefheart.
Little Feat II (1972 - 1979)
  • Lowell George - guitar/harmonica/vocals
  • Bill Payne - keyboards/vocals
  • Richie Hayward - drums
  • Kenny Gradney - bass - b. New Orleans, Louisiana - formerly with Delaney and Bonnie.
  • Paul Barrere - guitar/vocals - b. July 3, 1948, Burbank, California.
  • Sam Clayton - congas - formerly with Delaney and Bonnie.
Albums:
  1. "Dixie Chicken" (1973)
  2. "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" (1974)
  3. "The Last Record Album" (1975)
  4. "Time Loves a Hero" (1977)
  5. "Waiting for Columbus" (live) (1978)
  6. "Down on the Farm" (1979)
  7. "Hoy-Hoy!" (1981)
Group disbands.  Lowell George and Paul Barrere go solo; Lowell George dies from heart attack in mid-tour.  Richie Hayward joins Joan Armatrading, and later toured with Robert Plant.  Kenny Gradney joins Bob Weir, Billy Cobham, Bobby & The Midnites (with Bobby Cochran), and Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.  Sam Clayton joins Jimmy Buffett.  Bill Payne toured with Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Seger, and James Taylor.  Paul Barrere later joins Catfish Hodge and The Bluesbusters.
Little Feat III (1988 - 1994) (Reformed) Albums:
  1. "Let It Roll" (1988)
  2. "Representing the Mambo" (1990)
  3. "Shake Me Up" (1991)
Little Feat IV (1994 - Present)
  • Bill Payne - keyboards/vocals
  • Richie Hayward - drums
  • Kenny Gradney - bass
  • Paul Barrere - guitar/vocals
  • Sam Clayton - congas
  • Fred Tackett - guitar/trumpet
  • Shaun Murphy - vocals/percussion - formerly with Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band.
Albums:
  1. "Ain't Had Enough Fun" (1995)
  2. "Live From Neon Park" (2-CDs) (1996)
  3. "Under the Radar" (1998) - Great album...this band still "cooks"!
  4. "Chinese Work Songs" (2000)
  5. "Live At The Rams Head" (2-CDs) (2002) - Little Feat "unplugged".
  6. "Down Upon The Suwannee River" (live) (2-CDs) (2003)
  7. "Kickin' It At The Barn" (2003)
  8. "Highwire Act Live In St. Louis 2003" (2-CDs) (2004)
Compilations:
  1. "As Time Goes By: The Very Best Of Little Feat" (1994)
  2. "Hotcakes & Outtakes" (4-CD box set) (2000)
  3. "Raw Tomatos" (2-CDs) (2002)
  4. "Ripe Tomatos" (2-CDs) (2002)
Lowell George solo:
  1. "Thanks, I'll Eat It Here" (1979)
  2. "Lightning-Rod Man" (1993) - Lowell George and The Factory; recorded in 1966-1967.
Paul Barrere solo:
  1. "On My Own Two Feet" (1983)
  2. "?????" ( ? )
DVDs and Videos:
  1. "Rockpalast Live" (2000) - VHS
  2. "Rockpalast Live" (2000) - DVD
  3. "Highwire Act Live In St. Louis 2003" (2003) - DVD
Hartman Recommends:
Do you think Little Feat's great music ended after the death of Lowell George?...better check out "Let It Roll" with Craig Fuller.  And do you think the same thing after the departure of Craig Fuller?...check out "Live From Neon Park" and "Under the Radar" with "new" vocalist Shaun Murphy (who has been singing backup vocals with the band since 1988 and lead vocals since 1995...she can belt it out with the best of 'em).  These folks just keep getting better and better...there just ain't no stoppin' this band!  And don't forget their classic live album from the Lowell George days, "Waiting for Columbus".
Links:
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Last Revised:  February 13, 2007
Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 by Gary S. Hartman.  All rights reserved.